By Kevin Stearns — Jul 5, 2024

June 2024 Larimer County Highlights

Compiled by Jorie Kramer, FC Public Media Volunteer

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Larimer County Board of County Commissioners, Administrative Matters | 6/04/24 | Observer Mary Bohman

Proclamation declaring June 2024 as LGBTQ + Pride Month “to celebrate the hard-fought victories of the LGBTQ+ community and to acknowledge that more work remains in order to achieve full equality, inclusion, representation and acceptance.” Commissioners heard from Laura MacWaters who serves as the Vice Chair of the County’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board. She spoke about the importance of the proclamation and raising its visibility given the ongoing assault on the LGBTQ+ community. Kimberly Chambers, founder of NOCO SafeSpace and Executive Director for Larimer County of Splash Youth of Northern Colorado, also supported the proclamation and asked for additional county resources, especially for behavioral health.
- Commissioners Shadduck-McNally and Stephens and County Manager Volker recognized the importance of celebrating Pride Month and how the county can do better going forward.
Approval of grant agreement regarding American Rescue Plan Collaborative projects sub award to Fort Collins Habitat for Humanity for $1 million to purchase nine lots in the Heartside Hill Development Site. Alia Rodriguez, Housing Stability Program Manager for the county, discussed how the lots will support Habitat for Humanity and their partnership with Poudre Schools to build the houses. Kristen Candella, Executive Director of Fort Collins Habitat for Humanity, elaborated on the partnership with Poudre High School where 1000 students have helped build homes over the past 9 years providing valuable career and volunteer experience. The grant will allow 1000 more students to participate in the program and 9 new homeowners will have an affordable place to live.
- The Commissioners and County Manager recognized the importance of affordable housing in a fast-growing community like Fort Collins. They asked about funds for construction and heard that Fort Collins Habitat for Humanity invests in raising $350 thousand to build each home through support from businesses, the community and County. Commissioners also asked about the opportunity for homeowners to build equity. Habitat for Humanity has a shared appreciation model with a fixed appreciation schedule that provides an opportunity for homeowners to build equity.

Windsor Town Board Regular Meeting | 6/10/24 | Observer Shannon Murphy

Mayor Pro Tem Cline discussed the appointment of Mayor.

The Board did not seek clarification on whether Barry Wilson can reclaim the District 2 seat he once held, following a judge’s ruling that Wilson is ineligible to serve as mayor due to term restrictions. The current charter only allows for appointment of Mayor by one of the current Town Board members (not a special election).
The floor was opened for nominations and Hallett nominated Mayor Pro Tem Julie Cline. Other board members recognized Cline for demonstrated experience, capabilities, and peaceful-yet-stern demeanor. Cline pointed to these qualifications:
- She has been in Windsor for 13 years
- Her child attended Windsor schools Kindergarten thru recent Windsor HS graduation
- She has worked for Hewlett Packard for 22 years
- She was first appointed to the District 4 seat in 2020 when Paul Rennemeyer was elected mayor, won reelection in 2022, and was chosen as mayor pro-tem in May.
Motion appointing Julie Cline as Mayor was approved 5-0. She will hold the position until April 2026.
The next appointment for Windsor’s mayor will be April 2026 and that person can only hold the position for 2 years until the next full election cycle. The Board acknowledged there is some frustration with how the charter is written. There is now a vacancy for District 2, District 4, and Mayor Pro Tem positions -- applications will be posted online.

Wellington Board of Trustees | 6/11/24 | Observer Nanci Wendland

Trustee Moyer read a proclamation proclaiming June as Pride Month in Wellington. Moyer said this shows Wellington as a friendly and supportive community that celebrates diversity and inclusivity. Only three of the six in-person trustees clapped afterwards: Trustees Cannon, Daily, and Moyer.
A new liquor license for Get Well LLC dba The Well Brew Pub received approval after several objections from board members. Attorney Sapienza reminded the board there is no land use code for hours of operation. This business will only be open Friday through Sunday. The vote was 5-1 with Trustee Moyer voting no. A renewal for The Wellington Grill was approved without discussion.
Engineers from the Public Works department presented final completion activities for the new Water Treatment Plant (WTP) and the Water Reclamation Facility (WRF). This project has been under design and construction since early 2020. There have been weather delays, and several change orders to the original plan. The WRF is expected to start up in late July. Operators will go through training on the new equipment in July and the plant should be fully operational by October 2024. The WTP has already begun transitioning from construction to start up. Training sessions have begun and the plant is expected to be fully operational the week of June 17.
One of the trustees heard the town has $1 million in funding from the state that has not been spent. Engineer Myer explained the state recommended reimbursing Jacob’s Engineering or using the funds to buy down the interest rate on the construction loan. Trustee Tietz asked if the funds could be applied to the town’s wastewater fund. Engineers Myers and Ewert will investigate and propose the best solution approved by the state.

Berthoud Town Board | 6/11/24 | Observer Nanci Wendland

The board considered Resolution 2024-09 and Ordinance 1341 - both regarding the Revere Development. The resolution sought to approve the development and the ordinance sought to change zoning of the land in accordance with the planned usage. After public discussion, and comments from City Attorney Erin Smith and Senior Planner Tawn Hillenbrand, a motion was made to deny both Resolution 2024-09 and Ordinance 1341. The motion passed.

Larimer County Interagency Oversight Group (LCIOG) Meeting | 6/13/24 | Observer Shannon Murphy

The Larimer County Interagency Oversight Group maintains and restores community health, safety, and well-being by partnering with families, youth, children and communities to provide an integrated, immediate, unduplicated and efficient continuum of local services for families with children in Larimer County

Family Assessment and Planning Team (FAPT) Updates: Kayla Hendrickson said the team will decrease capacity from 60 cases to 35 cases per month. FAPT closes approximately 4-5 cases each month. With capacity decreasing, they plan to continue to “naturally” close cases, but only accept new ones based on capacity. Kayla commented that the waitlist continues to grow. They are looking for sustainable, community-based resources to shift patients towards.

Johnstown Town Council | 6/17/24 | Observer Nanci Wendland

Councilmember Dee Menzies asked what the town is doing to reinforce fire codes during July 4 celebrations. Town Manager Matthew LeCerf said it’s the residents who need to catch fireworks users, and then agree to show up in court if they report someone. In the past, LeCerf said, residents have reported the use of illegal fireworks to the police. The police come out and issue the user with a ticket and a court summons, but if the reporting resident doesn’t show up in court to back up the claim, the user is released without penalty or fines.
- Police Chief Jeff Strossner said they will increase patrol and work overtime on July 4^th in hopes of curbing the use of illegal fireworks. Town Manager LeCerf said his staff will soon start a campaign on social media about the town’s fireworks codes, penalties, and how to be safe.
- Mayor Michael Duncan said it might be a good idea for the town to start having its own fireworks show by professionals. The show could bring more people into the town, which brings in more revenue. He said it may also curb residents’ need to have their own fireworks.

Larimer County Board of County Commissioners - Administrative Matters | 6/18/24 | Observer Mary Bohman

The Consent Agenda included the following :

An agreement to provide a business personal property tax incentive not to exceed $189,392 for equipment related to the new corporate headquarters of Hensel Phelps Construction within the Loveland South Centerra Development. The company requested the incentive to help offset costs of their investment of approximately $55 million in construction and equipment to build their new corporate headquarters. The Larimer County Economic and Workforce Development Department and the City of Loveland Economic Development Department estimate that completion of the project will help relocate and add 250 new full-time employees to a Larimer County operations center in the next 6 years.

Wellington Board of Trustees | 6/25/24 | Observer Nanci Wendland

Trustee David Weigand clarified with Attorney Dan Sapienza that effective July 1, 2024, no concealed carry or open carry weapons will be allowed in any Colorado government buildings. Violations of the new state law will result in a misdemeanor charge.
Attorney Sapienza encouraged trustees to read “The Home Rule Handbook”. He said this handbook gives the history and best practices for considering Home Rule in Colorado. Sapienza said town staff from Severance, where Home Rule was recently adopted, are scheduled to be at Wellington’s July 23 board meeting to share their experience with the change. Sapienza said reading this handbook beforehand would be good preparation.
Sapienza wants to schedule training with all members of Wellington’s boards and commissions to discuss Quasi-judicial rules and the effects these rules may have on town decision-making.

Citizen Observers further the commitment of the League of Women Voters to its principle of Citizens Right to Know, however, we are not acting as journalists. Omissions and errors are possible. It is assumed that users of this information are responsible for their own fact-checking. This could include contacting a government clerk, conversing with an elected official or staff, and/or asking us to speak to the Observer who attended.